Comia, John Lloyd B.

21-02284
EE-2203

Discrete Mathematics Exercises #1

1. Which of these sentences are propositions? What are the truth values of those
that are propositions?

a) Boston is the capital of Massachusetts.

b) Miami is the capital of Florida.
c) 2 + 3 = 5.
d) 5 + 7 = 10.
e) x + 2 = 11.
f ) Answer this question

Answers:

a) Yes, T
b) Yes, F
c) Yes, T
d) Yes, F
e) No
f) No

2. What is the negation of each of these propositions?

a) Mei has an MP3 player.

b) There is no pollution in New Jersey.
c) 2 + 1 = 3.
d) The summer in Maine is hot and sunny

Answers:

a) Mei does not have an MP3 player.

b) There is a pollution in New Jersey
c) 2 + 1 ≠ 3
d) The summer in Maine is not hot and sunny

3. Let p and q be the propositions “Swimming at the New Jersey shore is allowed”
and “Sharks have been spotted near the shore,” respectively. Express each of
these compound propositions as an English sentence.

a) ¬q
b) p ∧ q
c) ¬p ∨ q
d) p → ¬q
 Answers:

a) Sharks have not been spotted near the shore.

b) Swimming at the New Jersey shore is allowed and sharks have been spotted
near the shore.
c) Swimming at the New Jersey shore is not allowed or sharks have been spotted
near the shore.
d) If swimming at the New Jersey shore is allowed, then sharks have not been
spotted near the shore.

4. Let p, q, and r be the propositions

p : Grizzly bears have been seen in the area.

q : Hiking is safe on the trail.
r : Berries are ripe along the trail.

Write these propositions using p, q, and r and logical connectives (including

negations).

a) Berries are ripe along the trail, but grizzly bears have not been seen in the area.
b) Grizzly bears have not been seen in the area and hiking on the trail is safe, and
berries are ripe along the trail.
c) If berries are ripe along the trail, hiking is safe if and only if grizzly bears have
not been seen in the area.
d) It is not safe to hike on the trail, but grizzly bears have not been seen in the
area and the berries along the trail are ripe.
e) For hiking on the trail to be safe, it is necessary but not sufficient that berries not
be ripe along the trail and for grizzly bears not to have been seen in the area.

Answers:

a) r ∧ ¬p
b) (-p ∧ q) ∧ r
c) r → (q ↔ -p)
d) -q ∧ (-p ∧ r)
e) q → (-r ∧ -p)

5. Determine whether each of these conditional statements

is true or false.

a) If 1 + 1 = 2, then 2 + 2 = 5.
b) If 1 + 1 = 3, then 2 + 2 = 4.
c) If 1 + 1 = 3, then 2 + 2 = 5.
d) If monkeys can fly, then 1 + 1 = 3.
 Answers:

a) False
b) True
c) True
d) True

6. Write each of these statements in the form “if p, then q” in English.

a) It snows whenever the wind blows from the northeast.

b) The apple trees will bloom if it stays warm for a week.
c) That the Pistons win the championship implies that they beat the Lakers.
d) It is necessary to walk 8 miles to get to the top of Long’s Peak.

Answers:

a) If the wind blows from the northeast, then it snows.

b) If it stays warm for a week, then the apple trees will bloom
c) If the Pistons beat the Lakers, then they win the championship.
d) If you want to get to the top of Long’s Peak, then it is necessary to walk 8 miles.

7. State the converse, contrapositive, and inverse of each of these conditional

statements.

a) If it snows today, I will ski tomorrow.

b) I come to class whenever there is going to be a quiz.
c) A positive integer is a prime only if it has no divisors other than 1 and itself.

Answers:

a) Converse: “I will ski tomorrow only if it snows today.”

Contrapositive: “If I do not ski tomorrow, then it will not have snowed today.”
Inverse: “If it does not snow today, then I will not ski tomorrow.”

b) Converse: “If there is a quiz, then I will come to class”

Contrapositive: “If there is no quiz, then I will not go to class”
Inverse: “If I didn’t come to class, then there’s no quiz.”

c) Converse: “If it has no divisors other than 1 and itself, then a positive integer is a
prime number.”
Contrapositive: “If it has a divisor other than 1 and itself, then a positive integer
is not a prime number.”
Inverse: “If a positive integer is not prime, then it has divisors other than 1 and
itself.”
 8. Construct a truth table for each of these compound propositions.

a) p ∧ ¬p
b) p ∨ ¬p
c) (p ∨ ¬q) → q
d) (p → q) ↔ (¬q → ¬p)

a)
p ¬p p ∧ ¬p

T F F

F T F

b)
p ¬p p ∧ ¬p

T F T

F T T

c)

p q -q p ∨ ¬q (p ∨ ¬q) → q

T T F T T

T F T T F

F T F F T

T F T T F

d)
p q -p -q p→q ¬q → ¬p (p → q) ↔ (¬q → ¬p)

T T F F T T T

T F F T F F T

F T T F T T T

F F T T T T T
 9. Construct a truth table for each of these compound propositions.
a) (p ∨ q) → (p ⊕q)
b) (p ⊕q) → (p ∧ q)
c) (p ↔ q) ⊕(¬p ↔ ¬r)

a)
p q p∨q p ⊕q (p ∨ q) → (p ⊕q)

T T T F F

T F T T T

F T T T T

F F F F T

b)

p q p ⊕q p∧q (p ⊕q) → (p ∧ q)

T T F T T

T F T F F

F T T F F

F F F F T

c)

p q r -p -r p↔q ¬p ↔ ¬r (p ↔ q) ⊕(¬p ↔ ¬r)

T T T F F T T F

T T F F T T F T

T F T F F F T T

T F F F T F F F

F T T T F F F F
F T F T T F T T

F F T T F T F T

F F F T T T T F

10. Construct a truth table for each of these compound propositions.

a) p → (¬q ∨ r)
b) ¬p → (q → r)
c) (p → q) ∨ (¬p → r)
d) (p → q) ∧ (¬p → r)

a)
p q r ¬q ¬q ∨ r p → (¬q ∨ r)

T T T F T T

T T F F F F

T F T T T T

T F F T T T

F T T F T T

F T F F F T

F F T T T T

F F F T T T
b)
p q r -p q→r ¬p → (q → r)

T T T F T T

T T F F F T

T F T F T T

T F F F T T

F T T T T T

F T F T F F

F F T T T T

F F F T T T
c)

p q r -p p→q ¬p → r (p → q) ∨ (¬p → r)

T T T F T T T

T T F F T T T

T F T F F T T

T F F F F T T

F T T T T T T

F T F T T F T

F F T T T T T

F F F T T F T

d)

p q r -p p→q ¬p → r (p → q) ∧ (¬p → r)

T T T F T T T

T T F F T T T

T F T F F T F

T F F F F T F

F T T T T T T

F T F T T F F

F F T T T T T

F F F T T F F